Things are getting even stranger. David Harbour‘s upcoming HBO project, My Dentist’s Murder Trial, is based on a chilling true story.
The Stranger Things actor is set to star alongside The Mandalorian‘s Pedro Pascal in the limited series. According to Variety, the show takes inspiration from James Lasdun‘s 2017 New Yorker article titled “My Dentist’s Murder Trial: Adultery, False Identities, and a Lethal Sedation.”
In 2015, Dr. Gilberto Nunez was indicted for allegedly killing his friend Thomas Kolman by getting him to “ingest a substance that caused his death.” The case also included two counts of forgery after Nunez — who had an affair with Kolman’s wife — posed as a CIA agent.
When he stood trial in 2018, the dentist was found not guilty of murder. However, the court found him guilty of fraud. Nunez was sentenced to two to seven years in prison, but he was granted parole and released after only 19 months.
Both Pascal and Harbour will executive produce the true crime series, which is the latter’s first major TV project since Stranger Things began in 2016. The New York native plays police chief Jim Hopper in the Netflix hit, which dropped season 4 in two parts beginning in May 2022. When season 3 concluded three years prior, Hopper’s fate was up in the air.
“There were several times I thought he should die,” Harbour told Variety of his character in July 2022. “I certainly thought that in the beginning, because he was so destroyed and hell bent on destruction. Then when it seemed like he went in season 3, I was happy for him … As he’s being resurrected as the man he wants to become, it would almost be nicer to keep him alive. Let’s see what they choose.”
Hopper survived an explosion at the mall in Hawkins, Indiana, and season 4 saw him attempt to escape a Russian prison camp. The Black Mass star seriously slimmed down for the story line, losing more than 75 pounds.
“I’m sorry for all the fans who lost the dad bod, but I will tell you this: David Harbour will have dad bods in the future, I have no doubt,” he teased to Variety. “As soon as we finished my last shirtless scene, I sent my assistant to this great pasta place for lasagna. It only came in trays, so I gave her a little section and then I just took the whole tray and dove in like a maniac.”
Pascal, for his part, made a name for himself as Oberyn Martell on season 4 of Game of Thrones before taking on the titular role on Disney+’s The Mandalorian. The Chilean actor has experience in the true crime genre, playing Javier Peña on Netflix’s Narcos from 2015 to 2017.
Scroll down to learn more about My Dentist’s Murder Trial: